Steam trap



Oct. 14, 1952 E, L MYERS 2,613,685

STEAM TRAP Filed April l5. 11948 INVENTOR.

ERROL L. MYERS ATTORNEYS.

Patented Cct. 14, 1952 STEAM TRAP Errol L. Myers, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Howard 0. Trerice, doing business as H. 0. Tx'erice Company Application April 15, 1948, Serial No. 21,252

'l Claims. (Cl. 137-190) This invention relates to steam traps, espen cially adapted for use in power plants and the like, and serves as a means for separating liquids from steam or air and discharging said liquid into a reservoir.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanism associated with the discharge valve actuating means of a steam trap for preventing uneven wear of the valve and valve seat, thereby increasing the life of the traps and insuring quieter operation and eliminating a great deal of servicing troubles.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism associated with the discharge valve actuating mechanism of a steam trap for par tially rotating said valve at each operation of the valve to prevent uneven wear of the valve and valve seat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism of the type aforesaid by constructing a sheet metal bucket formed with baffles or other similar ridges and grooves actuated by relative liquid flow by same to cause a partial rotation of the bucket.

And a still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism of the type aforesaid and including a bucket formed of a construction that can be more economically manufactured and which can be more readily serviced, but which provides for more positive actuation to eliminate said valve and valve steam wear.

These and other objects will be more apparent as the description progresses,. and fora more detailed understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, where like parts are referred to by like characters throughout the several views,y and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a steam trap showing the valve closed and showing the water level in the bucket float at a rather low level,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. ll

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view Yof the bucket, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

In steam traps of this general type as herein illustrated, the-discharge valve is operated inm termittently, and in time will rut the valve or valve seat to such an extent as to make it nec- 2 essary to replace one or the other. Several means have been devised in the past for imparting partial rotation to the valve so as to eliminate the tendency of rutting the valve or valve seat by some of these methods heretofore proposed or influenced largely by the incoming liquid and tend to cause undue wear of the valve and valve seat where others provide means which impart rotation to the valve by reason of relative movement of the bucket and the buoyant medium in the trap. Quite often, there is an accumulation of sludge in the bottom of these traps, and in those types which embody a propeller secured to the bottom of the bucket, the sludge accumulations will sometimes prevent proper operation of the mechanism.

In order to insure proper operation and to provide for positive partial rotation of the valve relative to its seat, I have provided for a positive actuation by utilizing the flow of liquid as it is being discharged from the bucket for imparting this partial rotating movement to the valve.

The present steam trap as illustrated herein comprises a casing Ill to which is bolted a head I I in a conventional manner. The casing is provided With an interior chamber I2 serving as a liquid connecting chamber or float chamber, and the intake port I4 which is preferably pipe threaded for receiving a union cr fitting connected with a steam line is provided in the head and communicates with a chamber I5 in said head which connects with the outlet port I6 arranged for connection with the condensate return line. Condensation or other liquids in said steam are separated in the usual way and drain into the casing I2 through a passage I'I. This accumulation of liquid or water in the chamber will in time fill up and overflow into a bucket I8 which is buoyantly supported in the chamber by the liquid therein. A discharge port 20 is closed as at 2I by means of a valve 22, said valve being carried by a valve stemr23 which is secured as at 20. to the bottom of this bucket I8. The head II carries a sleeve 25 which depends inside of the bucket, terminating short of the bottom of the bucket to provide an inlet opening 26 communicating with the bucket interior. This sleeve denes a liquid or water passage 2'I leading from the inlet 26 to the discharge port 20.

Preferably this sleeve is formed with radially inwardly projecting ribs 28 which extend longitudinally of this sleeve to provide a bearing for guiding the valve stem 23.

During normal operation, the valve 22 is closed by reason of the fact that the bucket is buoyed in the chamber l2. In operation, the liquid or water collecting in this chamber I2 and which buoys the bucket float will overilow into the bucket and gradually raise the level of the liquid or water therein until such time as the level oi liquid in the bucket rises sufficiently to overcome the pressure on the intake side of such trap and the buoyancy of the bucket. At this time, the bucket will rather quickly sink in this float chamber l2, thereby causing valve 22 to open the discharge port 2Q. The pressure in the trap on the intake side will thus act upon the surface of the liquid in the bucket and force same through the intake port 2S into the liquid passage in the sleeve, out the discharge port Eil and through the outlet IS where it is carried away.

The bottom wall of this bucket is preferably constructed or stamped out to form generally radially extending recesses 3E) which project inwardly of the bucket as plainly shown in the drawings. One side of these recesses is preferably substantially normal to the plane of the bottom wall of said bucket and the other side wall of said recess is inclined with said plane of the bottom wall at an angle, preferably approximately about 45 as shown in 3| in Fig. 5. These grooves and corresponding ridges extend preferably at an angle to the ilow of liquid adjacent to the bottom of the bucket. The flow of liquid inside the bucket is generally radially inwardly towards the inlet opening 26 formed by the space between the bottom of the sleeve 25 and the bottom of the bucket. The liquid or water beneath the bucket in the float chamber is squeezed outwardly when the bucket sinks and thus flows generally radially outwardly. Ihe grooves and ridges formed in the bottom of the bucket are so constructed as to be actuated by this liquid flow, said liquid impinging preferably upon the side 32 and causing a partial rotation of the bucket. These grooves and ridges are so constructed as to react with'the liquid flow internally of the bucket to induce rotating motion to the bucket. Since the valve is carried by the bucket it will be likewise partially rotated at each operation of the trap. 1

The liquid beneath the bucket is agitated by rotation of the bucket, this agitation minimizing the settling of sludge in the bottom of the trap. Also as the bucket raises in the trap due to discharging of the contents of said bucket, the liquid outside of the bucket flows generally radially inwardly toward the center of the bucket, and such flow helps somewhat in rotating the bucket and valve attached thereto, but does agitate the liquid.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

, l. In a steam trap, the combination of a casing provided with a float chamber and with an intake and discharge port, a valve for closing said discharge port and comprising a tapered valve portion and an elongated Valve stem, a bucket within said chamber and connected with the lower end of said valve stem, said bucket conning the liquid to a defined path as same is discharged, said bucket constructed to sink in said chamber when the liquid in said chamber overflows into the bucket and the level of the liquid in said bucket rises sufllciently to overcome the pressure and buoyancy of the bucket to thereby open said valve, a sleeve depending inside of said bucket and deilning a discharge passage terminating at said discharge port and having an inlet adjacent the bottom of said bucket, the liquid in said bucket thereby flowing generally radially inward toward the sleeve inlet and said liquid between the bottom of the bucket and said casing flowing generally radially inwardly of the bucket when said bucket raises in said chamber, the bottom wall of said bucket formed with baiiies extending radially outwardly from said valve stem and projecting upwardly from the bottom wall of the bucket and inwardly of the bucket and into the path of the liquid flowing toward said sleeve inlet to partially rotate the bucket and valve.

2. In a steam trap, the combination of a casingprovided with a float chamber and with an intake and discharge port, a valve for closing said discharge port, a bucket within said chamber and connected with said valve, said bucket conning the liquid to a defined path as said liquid is discharged, said bucket constructed to sink in said chamber when the liquid in said chamber overflows into the bucket and the level of the liquid in said bucket rises sufficiently tc overcome the pressure and buoyancy of the bucket to thereby open said valve, a sleeve depending inside of said bucket and deiining a discharge passage terminating at said discharge port and having an inlet adjacent the bottom of said bucket, the liquid in said bucket thereby flowing generally radially inward toward the sleeve inlet and said liquid between the bottom of the bucket and said casing flowing generally radially inwardly of the bucket when said bucket raises in said chamber, the bottom wall of said bucket formed with baffles projecting inwardly of the bucket and into the path of the liquid flowing to the sleeve inlet to partially rotate the bucket and valve, said baffles comprising generally radially extending recessed grooves pressed into the bottom wall of saidl bucket forming con- Vex ridges projecting interiorly of said bucket. said grooves and ridges inclined to the direction of flow of said liquid, the ilow of liquid internally and externally of the bucket reacting on said grooves and ridges to impart a rotating motion to the bucket.

3. In a steam trap, the combination of a cas ing provided with a float chamber in which water is collected and having an inlet port and an outlet port, a valve for closing said outlet port and having an elongated valve stem, means comprising a bucket within said chamber and a sleeve depending inside of said bucket and deiining a discharge passage terminating at said outlet port and having an inlet adjacent the bottom of said bucket, for conning the flow of water to a dened path' as the same is discharged from the interior of the bucket, the water being introduced rst into said float chamber and overilowing into said bucket to offset the bouyancy ol' same to open the valve todischarge, and baffles carried on both the inside and outside bottom wall only of the bucket and respectively acted upon by water flowing radially along the bottom of the bucket as same is being discharged from said bucket and being displaced from beneath the bucket as same sinks in said float chamber for rotating the bucket and valve secured thereto while the valve is unseated so as to distribute the wear and the valve and valve seat.

4. In a steam trap,.the combination of a casing provided with a float chamber in which water is collected and having an inlet port and an outlet port, a valve for closing said outlet port and having an elongated valve stem, means comprising a bucket within said chamber and a sleeve depending inside of said bucket and defining a discharge passage terminating -at said outlet port and having an inlet adjacent the bottom of said bucket, for conning the flow of Water to a defined path as the same is discharged from the interior of the bucket, the water being introduced rst into said float chamber and overflowing into said bucket to offset the bouyancy of same to open the valve to discharge, and baffles carried on both the inside and outside bottom wall of the bucket respectively acted upon by water being discharged from said bucket and the Water being displaced from beneath the bucket as same sinks in said float chamber for rotating the bucket and valve secured thereto while the valve is unseated so as to distribute the wear on the valve and valve seat, said bailles extending generally radially from the lcentral portion of the bucket bottom wall and at a slight angle to an exact radial line, the water on being discharged from REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Trerice Feb. 12, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1934 Number Number 

